Partner in R' Chaim Cohen's Chesed Enterprise: Establishing the "Room of Dreams" for the Elevation of the Soul of Mrs. Leah Yocheved Singer a"h
Amidst tears of pain and longing, during the shiva (seven days of mourning) for the passing of his righteous daughter, Leah Yocheved Singer a"h (peace be upon her), R' Chaim Cohen chose to reach out to us to conduct this special interview. From within the great heartbreak, a burning desire to continue her path prevailed: R' Chaim felt that specifically now is the most appropriate time to expand his immense chesed (loving-kindness) enterprise and establish another level of giving in her merit. In the interview before you, he speaks openly about the angelic figure she was, the miracles that accompanied her life, and his vision to transform personal pain into a center of light, support, and salvation for the entire Jewish people.
These are his words:
The boldness of holiness: The character of Leah Yocheved
An angel who lived among us and the connection to the upper worlds
As much as I had heard in the past, I still did not know she was like this. I am now hearing truly unbelievable stories (about his righteous daughter z"l - of blessed memory). She possessed a powerful boldness of holiness. She did not care that someone was a professor; she saw a fellow Jew and said he needed to be helped.
A story came to her, one of hundreds of stories I am hearing: There was a woman who was very sad. Leah Yocheved immediately approached her and asked what was going on. The woman answered, "Listen, we had an appointment with a doctor, a professor we had been waiting months to see, but there was a lot of traffic on the way and we missed the appointment. We finally reached the doctor, and the professor said that there would be no examination until the surgery." They asked him, "So when will we meet?" He replied, "In a few more months." Because of this, the woman was very sad.
[VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/1185349010?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci]
Leah Yocheved told her, "Do not worry, I will take care of it." She went down to the operating room, waited until the professor finished his surgery, and pleaded with him: "Please help her, she is suffering." The professor had no choice but to have mercy on her.
The new center on Chevrat Shas Street
The Room of Dreams: A place of relaxation and joy for children
Right now, we have a Hachnasas Orchim (hospitality center) for both men and women. It is very crowded for the men, and also for the women. For the women, it is so crowded that on Shabbos they can barely come. We want to open a large room now, a large hall. We are currently in the process of purchasing a property located on Chevrat Shas Street. This way, it will be more comfortable for people, and it will be called "Leah'le's Room of Dreams." And it will be called "Leah'le's Room of Dreams." And it will be called "Leah'le's Room of Dreams." This is so that whoever enters it will feel her spirit, her very essence.
She used to help me a lot with the Hachnasas Orchim; she loved the hospitality center very much, and she worked there for several years. She would always pray for the donors. She said, "I have no money to pay, but I can pray for the donors." Many miracles were seen here. With Hashem's help, we also want to establish Leah'le's Room of Dreams there. There will be a video of Leah'le, and there will be games for sick children suffering from all kinds of illnesses, children of divorced parents, and all kinds of boys and girls. They will have hours where they can come and play with games. This will fulfill Leah'le's essence, Leah'le's vision.
On a regular day, we have between 300 and 400 girls coming to the Hachnasas Orchim every day for breakfast and dinner. It is a very, very small place. We have had the hospitality center there for 16 years—excuse me, 20 years. We always had a very small room. The capacity is huge, and today we need a very large hall.
With Hashem's help, we have Leah'le's plans. Whoever wants to continue Leah'le's essence, whoever wants a salvation in the merit of Leah'le, in the merit of Rabbi Berland shlit"a, who spoke very highly of Leah'le. The Rav said after the eulogy: "Everything I said here is the absolute truth." We want her legacy to endure, and she will certainly be a good advocate in Heaven for the donors.
Beyond sectors and borders
From the alleyways of Elad to distant Toronto
We have another branch in Elad. We collect leftover food portions from yeshivas and distribute them to families. Over the last two years, we distributed more than 60,000 portions there in Elad. When I opened it, people told me, "Let's collect food and send it to Jerusalem." I said, "No, I want to distribute it right here in Elad." They argued, "No, no one will come in Elad." But in reality, no matter how much we do, it is never enough.
I have a partner named Shimon Gross who helps me a great deal in the United States and around the world. I have a telemarketing operation here, and thank Hashem, when I first opened the Hachnasas Orchim, I had massive debts; I didn't know how I would continue for even one more day. Today, we donate $150,000 every month. We have gifts that we give to every orphan boy and girl for their birthday. We give them presents. This strengthens people immensely; it greatly strengthens everyone who comes. It is for widows and orphans alike, and it reaches Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Beitar, and Elad. We also provide Hachnasas Kallah (wedding assistance) for every orphan from Jerusalem up to age 23 who gets married, giving them 10,000 shekels for their wedding. We have more than 120 grooms every year. This is for the entire spectrum of the public; there is no discrimination. For me, there is no such thing as only helping Anash (our specific community members); whatever I do, I do for everyone. Matzos for everyone. Whatever I do, this or that, I have removed the concept of "Anash" from my lexicon. The Jewish people need parnassah (livelihood) and whatever else they require, and I help them.
You should know, Rabbi Berland shlit"a once told me to open branches all over the world. So I was in Toronto and wanted to open a branch there. Ultimately, I didn't open it; the Rav told me to return to Israel and that I didn't need to open it, but a branch was opened there anyway. They serve breakfast and dinner there every day, and they don't even know that it is connected to me.
Supporting Orphans and Widows
Leveraging Global Donations and Investing Millions
Baruch Hashem, my hachnasas orchim (hospitality center) is the first place in the world that provided breakfast and dinner for regular people, including women. When we opened the hachnasas orchim for women, we asked several rabbis to come. They said no, we need special approval from the Badatz (Rabbinical Court). I said, I see that I am not succeeding in bringing the rabbis, so I opened it without asking anyone.
Baruch Hashem, it grew and grew. Baruch Hashem, it is painful (the passing of my daughter), but Baruch Hashem for giving us the merit to fulfill this mitzvah. I use all sorts of tricks so that the average person will not feel ashamed to enter. I am very, very careful about this and stand very, very firmly upon it.
How much does this complex cost?
Four million shekels just for the women's section. We are also opening a hall for men; together it is 12 million shekels.